This is a discussion on 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R - My First Sportsbike. 52,000 kms on the clock. UPDATE: Sold! within Motorbikes, part of the BHP India category; What was your replacement battery. Yuasa costs more like 9 k for brand new one.If you put exide , can ...

Been a while since I posted an update and I guess this will be the last update on the bike from my side. She joined her new dad as of last Sunday 17th July.

Since I bought the bonnie, the ninja barely did any rides. The bonnie's addictive torque and power had me hooked and I used to commute on the bonnie to work almost every weekday. That said, the ninja was not neglected in any way. I would fire up the engine almost everyday, take her around the block or to the office and back once a week at least.

I put the Ninja up for sale on team-bhp classifieds and got quite a few inquiries. The first gentleman who saw the bike fell in love with her and within 2-3 days paid a small holding amount. The only issue was he wanted to pick up the bike in Aug/Sep and seeing the happiness and smile on his face, I decided it was worth waiting. She would find a good home and an equally caring owner, which was of prime importance to me.

This last sunday, she relocated to her new home. The final moment of handing over the keys and seeing him ride away was a truly emotional moment for me. I reeled under a flood of memories. I will definitely miss her... the lovely whine from the engine, the bright green shade that I can spot from a distance, the reliability and smoothness of Japanese engg and a lot more. More than all this, I made a ton of friends, visited so many places that added immense cultural flavors and experiences to my life, which I will never forget.

......
More than all this, I made a ton of friends, visited so many places that added immense cultural flavors and experiences to my life, which I will never forget.
.........

Amen, Adi !
I cannot even begin to imagine how my life would've been if it weren't for the motorcycles I've had.

Listening to the Ninja around the twisties on the rides we've been on together is a fond memory that will remain with us even though she is now helping another bloke enjoy the joy of motorcycling.

To cap off this thought, there's an ad-line that comes to mind:
'You meet the nicest people on a Honda'...
Replace that Honda with 'Motorcycle' and it perfectly sums up how we've managed to make so many buddies purely thanks to motorcycles.

Cheers !

Sundar

Last edited by MavericK46 : 23rd July 2016 at 17:05.
Reason: Typograficak Errours

Since Ninja's indicators are very expensive. Is it possible to swap the Ninja's indicators with KTM's?

Even the availability of Ninja's indicators would be an issue. So it is possible to get the KTM ones?

Sorry for the late reply. I believe you can actually swap the turn indicators on the Ninja 250 with the duke indicators. I've seen a couple of Ninja 250's with these indicators, they look nice and go well with the bike.

Hi Aditya,
I have been following your thread since long and need your advice. Have been looking for a twin in the used marked and zeroed on the Ninja250. Have come across some of them in olx but I wanted an expert's opinion on what are the things we should look out before sealing the deal. I have been riding a unicorn for the past 10 years hence I would have limited knowledge on the higher cc bikes.

Any advice will be very helpful for me. To make it simple, here are the questions I would need your help with :

1. Is it worth buying a pre-owned ninja 250 (subject to the condition of course) these days ?
2. What are the mechanical key factors in the bike to consider before making a decision ?
3. How to know if the bike was abused or the way it has been used ?
4. What would be the upkeep cost specially after so many years of ownership ?

There are few ads in olx like this, this and finally this. Having burnt my pockets in the past buying a Fiat Uno and a Palio S10 I am scared to go on the pre-owned route.

All of these for sure won't match to the refinement of a twin though. But due to my limited budget I am not venturing into the Ninja 300/R3 territory even in the pre-owned market. My usage is the office commute of 60 km through dense city traffic and some speed strips but yes I would want to hit the highways in the weekends too.

Your two cents please

Last edited by Abhi_abarth : 2nd November 2017 at 19:41.
Reason: Added text

Hi Aditya, I have been following your thread since long and need your advice.

First off, thanks for reaching out. Glad I am able to help out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Any advice will be very helpful for me. To make it simple, here are the questions I would need your help with :

1. Is it worth buying a pre-owned ninja 250 (subject to the condition of course) these days ?

IMHO, even if you do find a well maintained bike, from what I gather, at least in Bangalore, the service quality has tanked significantly. I had experienced this towards the end of my ownership and it was disappointing to see how a world class brand was treated as good or as bad as a pulsar (sorry to say, no offense). From the quality of wash to the quality of work done on the bike, you will have to hover around the mechanic like a vulture waiting for its prey.

Another problem is availability of parts and parts are expensive. You may be able to source stuff like brake pads and air filters/spark plugs easily but other things that need replacement with time such as radiator hoses, cam chain tensioner, disc rotor, etc may be cumbersome. More problematic if the bike takes a fall wanting other replacement parts.

2. What are the mechanical key factors in the bike to consider before making a decision ?

Check full service history, talk to the mechanic, preferably buy a bike from known circle of friends. Other than that, check the radiator for leaks, brake rotor wear, fork seals, alignment of the bike itself for any chassis damage, engine components such as valve clearances, knocking sound, oil consumption.

3. How to know if the bike was abused or the way it has been used ?

The engine note on idle from cold start all the way till the radiator fans kick in will tell you if there is a problem with the cooling system. Other than that, listen to the engine for any clatter or noise at idle, hard acceleration and while maintaining constant cruising speed. Why all three modes of riding? You can check how the engine behaves under different conditions of stress.

4. What would be the upkeep cost specially after so many years of ownership ?

It is expensive. I used to have all sorts of things attended to which was not part of the routine mentioned in the manual. For ex. I used to change the oil and oil filter every 5k kms instead of the recommended 12k kms. Changed all fluids such as brake fluid, radiator coolant at every 10k kms and at 30k I changed the fork oil as well. Chain and sprocket kit lasted me 30k kms before it was replaced. I opted for the Rolon X ring which although is advanced wore out in around 20-25k kms. Cost 8k vs 14k for the OE O ring chain.

As the bike gets older, the clutch, disc rotor, battery, cables, radiator hoses, etc will need a change and this will cost a packet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

There are few ads in olx like....

Definitely avoid the first one. There is an issue with the crank which the seller himself is saying will cost 30k.

I would suggest you ride these bikes and pick the one that connects with your heart. I can't explain more but you will know which one is for you. I would suggest you check out the Mahindra Mojo as well. It is a lovely machine, understated but performs brilliantly. The Dominar is a nice bike as well but you have to live with Bajaj for servicing and in the long run, the attitude may not be as it is right now.

I would suggest you ride these bikes and pick the one that connects with your heart. I can't explain more but you will know which one is for you. I would suggest you check out the Mahindra Mojo as well. It is a lovely machine, understated but performs brilliantly. The Dominar is a nice bike as well but you have to live with Bajaj for servicing and in the long run, the attitude may not be as it is right now.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you mate

Hearty thanks for your advice. It clearly comes out that the ninja will be high on maintenance. I rather go for a new bike and enjoy a fuss free ownership.

Of all the bikes I could only test ride the Fz25 but it wasn't arranged properly as the bike had less than required fuel and was coughing all the time. I will get back with my test ride experience soon. Thanks again for your valuable time

Hearty thanks for your advice. It clearly comes out that the ninja will be high on maintenance. I rather go for a new bike and enjoy a fuss free ownership.

Of all the bikes I could only test ride the Fz25 but it wasn't arranged properly as the bike had less than required fuel and was coughing all the time. I will get back with my test ride experience soon. Thanks again for your valuable time

From what I have read and heard, the FZ25 isn't all that great on performance and tends to come across as lazy (I may be wrong here). This of course won't compare with the performance of the Ninja 250.

Also, the Apache 200 is now out with FI and although the power output between the carb and FI remains almost the same, the engine is reportedly smoother.

If you can wait a bit, do consider the new bmw 310 that's on the launch pad and should be out sometime next year I presume. News is out that KTM will also launch the KTM 690 next year.

All the best with your search and do ride these bikes to get a feel before you pay up.

Of all the bikes I could only test ride the Fz25 but it wasn't arranged properly as the bike had less than required fuel and was coughing all the time. I will get back with my test ride experience soon.

I managed to have a nice long test drive on an FZ25. Went two up. It's performance will surprise you. Throttle response is smooth and you feel instantly connected to the bike. It's brisk and handles like a dream. Very good balance between ride and handling. Again I was surprised how good it was two up. Hope you get to have a longer test ride on a better bike.

Of all the bikes I could only test ride the Fz25 but it wasn't arranged properly as the bike had less than required fuel and was coughing all the time. I will get back with my test ride experience soon. Thanks again for your valuable time

I would suggest that you take another test ride of the FZ25,it does not make much power on paper,but the throttle response,smooth gear shift and good braking makes for a nice ride. Mine is still running in and I think it will make for a decent tourer,lack of ABS and weak headlights not withstanding.